Centaurs

Centaur's

The centaur is one of the most enduring mythological creations. It has survived through art and literature of the Middle Ages. Most people consider centaurs are creatures that are part human and part horse. Centaurs may best be explained as the creation of a folktale in which wild inhabitants of the mountains and savage spirits of the forests were combined in a half-human, half-animal form.

Their general character was that of wild, lawless, and inhospitable beings, who were slaves of their animal side. According to legend they were the offspring of Ixion, King of the neighboring Lapiths. They were best known for their fight with the Lapiths. On the wedding day of Pirithous King of the Lapiths, the son and successor of Ixion, they violated the female guests and attempted to abduct the King's bride. The centaurs eventually lost the battle and were driven from Mount Pelion.

An exception to this was the kind and wise centaur Chiron, the centaur sage who had tutored several great Greek heroes, including Jason, Hercules, Theseus, Achilles, and the healer Asclepius. He was said to have been immortal and after being wounded by Hercules, was allowed by Zeus to give his immortality to Prometheus rather than live on in agony. Zeus then placed him in the stars as a constellation.

This page was last updated on: Monday, September 24, 2006 at 11:26 PM